EDITORIAL: Cheers

Monday

Aug 26, 2013 at 2:00 AM

To the Middletown High School Marching Band for not only making it big but also for keeping a big secret. The Marching Middies performed in the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park production of ““Love's Labour's Lost” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. They had to compete with 40 other bands to get the part and the Public Theater paid to have the band bused nightly to and from the theater. Because their entrance in the play's finale was a surprise, band members were not allowed to let anybody know until the first performance had taken place. Players received $20 apiece per performance as interns and they had to rehearse for three weeks.

To the Middletown High School Marching Band for not only making it big but also for keeping a big secret. The Marching Middies performed in the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park production of ““Love's Labour's Lost” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. They had to compete with 40 other bands to get the part and the Public Theater paid to have the band bused nightly to and from the theater. Because their entrance in the play's finale was a surprise, band members were not allowed to let anybody know until the first performance had taken place. Players received $20 apiece per performance as interns and they had to rehearse for three weeks.

To John Bell, longtime umpire for Little League games in Port Jervis, whose expertise behind home plate was on display for the world to see. He took that familiar spot in the first game of the Little League World Series this year in Williamsport, Pa., before going to officiate on the right field line and first base, among others. His friends and fans in the community, which extends from the fields of Minisink Valley to the Delaware Valley, have known about the honor since it was announced last winter. But in the past few weeks they have been reminding each other to put ESPN and ESPN2 into their remote favorites – as if they weren't there already – so that they didn't miss a chance to watch Bell work.

To Stewart Airport for attracting a new carrier with flights that should prove to be popular. Allegiant Air, a line that served Stewart from 2005-07, is coming back starting at the end of October with two fights a week, Thursdays and Sundays, to Clearwater International Airport in St. Petersburg, Fla. This will complement the JetBlue flights that already take travelers to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. Allegiant is growing, and the flights at Stewart are part of a plan to expand along the East Coast. Stewart fans hope that more good news will be coming soon because representatives recently were in Chicago to hold talks with another airline.

To the inaugural Bagel Festival in Monticello, which drew about 100 vendors and up to 5,000 fans to what many hope will be an annual event. Jeff Siegel, owner of the Spencer Daniels Agency, who did much of the work to get the festival rolling, was overwhelmed by the response. “This is 100 times more than what we anticipated or expected,” he said.

To two Middletown police dogs and their partners who will be heading to the national trials in Washington, D.C., next month based on their winning performances in recent regional competition. Officer Patrick Cunningham and his K-9 partner, Ivan, finished in first place overall, and Sgt. Jeffry Thoelen and his K-9 partner, Hudson, finished third in the United States Police Canine Association Region 7 Police Dog-1 Trials. They competed against several of the top teams from around the New York metropolitan area in categories including general obedience and agility, evidence search, suspect search and apprehending criminals.